My Alternatives to Gambling Letter to Utah State House Majority Leader Mike Schultz

 I will be very pleased if this brainstorming letter is helpful to other  Utahns:

----- Forwarded Message -----

From: "John McMillan" <mcmillanj@att.net>

To: "Mike Schultz" <mikeschultz@le.utah.gov>, "Mike Weichers" <mweichers@ch.utah.gov>, "Gay Lynn Bennion" <glbennion@le.utah.gov>, "Paul A. Cutler" <pcutler@le.utah.gov>, "Cameron Roden" <croden@utah.gov>, "TAPSupport TAX" <tapsupport@utah.gov>, "Angela Romero" <angelaromero@le.utah.gov>, "mballard@le.utah.gov" <mballard@le.utah.gov>, "Mayor Wilson" <mayor@slco.org>, "Deseret News 2022" <dnweb@deseretnews.com>, "newsmedia@ldschurch.org" <newsmedia@ldschurch.org>, "Mike Schultz" <mikeschultz@le.utah.gov>, "Ryan Bartlett" <ryan.bartlett@schools.utah.gov>, "Schools Utah Webmaster" <webmaster@schools.utah.gov>, "anielson@murrayschools.org" <anielson@murrayschools.org>, "Rori Andreason" <randreason@midvale.com>, "Joel Briscoe" <jbriscoe@le.utah.gov>, "Jplumb" <jplumb@le.utah.gov>, "Him-roi" <him-roi@umail.utah.edu>, "contactus@imail.org" <contactus@imail.org>, "Utah Medical Association 2021" <info@utahmed.org>, "Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson 2021" <beckiepage@utah.gov>, "Office of Gov. Spencer Cox" <govcomm@utah.gov>, "Utah State Univ Communications 2022" <ucom@usu.edu>, "UT_Webmanager" <ut_webmanager@hud.gov>, "Attorney General of Utah" <uag@utah.gov>, "Attorney General of Utah" <uag@utah.gov>, "Uag" <uag@agutah.gov>, "communications@utahbar.org" <communications@utahbar.org>, "commerce@utah.gov" <commerce@utah.gov>, "marie.stewart" <marie.stewart@slcgov.com>, "Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall 2021" <mayor@slcgov.com>, "ana.valdemoros@slcgov.com" <ana.valdemoros@slcgov.com>, "llstringham@slco.org" <llstringham@slco.org>, "suharrison@slco.org" <suharrison@slco.org>, "County Council Member Bradshaw" <arbradshaw@slco.org>, "utahdistrict02@gmail.com" <utahdistrict02@gmail.com>, "Internships" <internships@romney.senate.gov>, "Joel_wellum" <joel_wellum@lee.senate.gov>, "sociology@byu.edu" <sociology@byu.edu>, "byu-info@byu.edu" <byu-info@byu.edu>, "University of Utah Student Newspaper 2022" <press@chronicle.utah.edu>, "Joe Dougherty (DHHS)" <joedougherty@utah.gov>, "Cyprus Credit Union" <shauna.denos@cypruscu.com>, "Fox News SLC 2022" <news@fox13now.com>, "Jennifer Gardiner" <jgardiner@abc4.com>, "nbauer@abc4.com" <nbauer@abc4.com>, "CBS News '60 Minutes' Editors and Reporters" <60m@cbsnews.com>, "Utah Public Radio 2022" <tom.williams@usu.edu>, "University of Utah Student Newspaper 2022" <press@chronicle.utah.edu>, "Utah Press Assn Director Brian Allfrey 2022" <ballfrey@utahpress.com>, "chad.atkinson" <chad.atkinson@slcgov.com>

Cc: "leo.abila" <leo.abila@slcgov.com>, "todd.mitchell" <todd.mitchell@slcgov.com>, "mike.brown" <mike.brown@slcgov.com>, "Scott Sandall" <ssandall@le.utah.gov>, "Drew Hadley" <drew.hadley@slcgov.com>, "Utah Peace Officers Association 2022" <homeupoa@gmail.com>, "Utah Republican Party" <info@utgop.org>, "Utah Democratic Party Officials" <mail@utdemocrats.org>, "Mark A. Strong" <mstrong@le.utah.gov>, "kcullimore@le.utah.gov" <kcullimore@le.utah.gov>, "Las Vegas Sun newspaper 2022" <feedback@lasvegassun.com>, "Utah State Magazine 2022" <mageditor@usu.edu>, "Utah State Univ Communications 2022" <ucom@usu.edu>, "chris.bertram@slcc.edu" <chris.bertram@slcc.edu>, "Molly Sween" <mollysween@weber.edu>, "lish.harris@utahtech.edu" <lish.harris@utahtech.edu>, "Utah Chiefs of Police Assn 2021" <vshupe@utahchiefs.org>

Sent: Sun, Jan 7, 2024 at 11:42 PM

Subject: Can UTStateHouse Offer Rewards Pgm for nongamblers?

January 7, 2024

Dear Utah State Legislature  House Majority Leader Mike Schultz,

Thank you again for your friendly  December 6, 2023, 

e-mail reply letter in which you kindly invited me to share with you concerns of mine about Utah.

One of my major concerns relates to the apparent current absence of a well-coordinated and statewide  "Utah Alternatives to Gambling" program or a "Utah Merit-Based Financial Reward Contests"  program.

House Majority Leader Schultz, I am very hopeful that you will be willing to ask the Utah House in early 2024 to please approve a two-pronged strategy for rewarding Utahns who obey state law by not spending any money on the flagrantly illegal activity of gambling here in Utah.

First, the Utah House under your fine  leadership could approve the establishment of an official state or privately sponsored "Utah Merit-Based Financial Prize Contests" website.

That proposed new website could  inform Utahns of all ages about each skill-based financial prizes contest in Utah they could enter and qualify for winning  a financial prize ranging from $50 to $10,000, depending on the contest and whether they win "Honorable Mention" or "First Place" in the contest. 

Among the dozens of annual or semiannual or monthly contests that could be publicized at the "Utah Merit-Based Financial Prize Contests" official website could be nearly all or all of the current Merit-Based Financial Prize Contests that are already being  offered   here in Utah on a regular basis.

The consolidation of publicity about each of those current merit-based contests at an official State of Utah-approved website could also help to spark  a significant increase in statewide participation levels in each of those contests by Utahns of all ages. 

One such current statewide contest here in Utah is this statewide original writing contest that offers awards of up to $1,000 for entries  judged to be the best in a cited category.

Below is the online link to the official website for that contest:

https://www.slcc.edu/cwc/utah-original-writing-competition.aspx

Second, the Utah State House with your pioneering leadership can approve a new state law for Utah that increases the Utah state income  tax rate that Utahns are required to pay on any gambling winnings  or lottery-ticket winnings  they earn in Nevada or  Idaho, respectively.

The Utah House could also approve a new state law that provides full exemption from payment of any Utah state income taxes on any and all financial prizes  that Utahns earn from their participation in  a State of Utah-endorsed "Utah Merit-Based Prizes Contest".

Among the advantages to Utahns from this proposed  new two-part state law are:

-----It should help to reduce the percentage of creatively talented Utahns of all ages who are  struggling financially. It can do this both from the financial prize they earn and through lucrative and creative  freelance work they are invited to pursue as a way of supplementing their income.

---It should help to boost the self-confidence  of each of the respective Utahns who are publicized as having won a prize in a merit-based prizes contest. At present, the apparently  inadequate number of merit-based contests in Utah appears to undermine the morale of many creatively talented  Utahns.

-----It fosters a lifelong  continuity of  creative excellence by Utahns who win a financial  prize in a State of Utah-approved merit-based prizes contest. 

State House Majority Leader Mike Schultz, I will be delighted if this brainstorming letter proves to be helpful to you and your Utah State House colleagues.

Sincerely and Best Wishes,

John Kevin McMillan, a permanent resident of Utah ever since January 1, 2023, and the founder and only member of the implicitly deistic, non-proseltyzing,  and quality of life-minded, alcohol-free, tobacco-free, nonvaping "Progressive Prohibitionist Religion".

My fully locked and solo-occupancy rental apartment unit home address ever since June 1, 2022:

535 South 200 East, Apt. 912, Ninth Floor, Salt Lake City, UT 84111.

My cell phone: (512) 993-7305.

My home phone: (801) 355-0850.